Cruise Passengers Visit Sosua

Tourism in the Puerto Plata area has seen a big increase in the past few years, specially with the opening of a second cruise ship port (Taino Bay), which is located right at the heart of the city’s historic district; ideally letting passengers take a short walk to many historic landmark cafés, museums, shops, restaurants and other attractions.

Thousands of cruise passengers are now arriving to Puerto Plata every week, in luxury cruises such as Scarlet Lady from Virgin, MSC Seashore, Wonder of the Seas, Carnival Mardi Gras, and many other large cruise ships.

Sosua Beach

Given its status as the top nautical destination of the North Coast, Sosua Beach is providing most catamaran and yacht charters to thousands of cruise passengers that are also visiting from the Carnival Cruises Amber Cove Port located in Maimon, Puerto Plata. The natural scenery and great Sosua snorkeling and diving spots make Sosua the ideal place most visitors want when it comes to a private charter experience.

A Sosua catamaran charter with cruise ship passengers from Taino Bay.

Cruise passengers enjoying a Sosua Catamaran private charter.

The crystalline waters of Sosua beach, and the abundance of tropical fish around its reefs allow visitors an engaging experience with its marine species, such as Sergeant Major, Blue Tang, Yellow Tail Snapper, Rays, turtles, Wrasses, and even dolphins. Young humpback whales can also be seen passing by during their winter migration to the Caribbean.

Sosua’s ample catalog of tours allow visitors to enjoy many other activities such as diving, banana boat, offshore fishing, zip lining, trekking, SUP paddle boarding, museum tour, and much more. Nearby Cabarete adds to the list, specially water sports such as surfing and kite surfing.

Regional Tourism Director Report

The regional director of tourism in the northern zone, Atahualpa Paulino, reported that on Thursday, December 12, four cruise ships arrived in Puerto Plata, including the Wonder of the Seas, considered the largest cruise ship in the world.

Paulino gave the information on his Instagram account, which highlights the arrival of more than 18,000 cruise passengers. “Puerto Plata receives again 4 cruise ships with 18,611 tourists. Among them we will had the largest cruise ship in the world, the Wonder of the Seas,” Paulino posted.

The official concluded by saying “we are going to provide a smile and cordial treatment to all our cruise visitors.” According to the statistics of the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur), the country received about 1.1 million cruise passengers in the period January-November 2022, and 2023 is expected to have more than in of 2022.